The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method of leveling a ground surface. More particularly, this invention pertains to an apparatus and method for leveling a surface of turf following core aeration and topdressing of the turf by means of a novel turf leveling device installed upon a tow vehicle. Turf maintenance is necessary to promote and maintain a healthy turf in residential lawns, golf courses, athletic fields and institutional landscaping. Common turf maintenance procedures include aeration, veritcutting, topdressing and turf leveling and are performed to increase air flow within the turf, decrease compaction of thatch and soil, and increase root growth. In order to promote vigorous growth necessary to maintain a healthy turf, groundskeepers periodically aerate the turf. Aeration is accomplished by pulling small dirt cores out of the green with a spike or core aerator. The cores may 1 be cleared away with the resultant loss of organic material. Removal of the cores and other debris may be accomplished manually or by use of a mechanized gathering and removal apparatus such as a drag tarp. Concomitant with core clearing is the cost of labor and/or the cost of specialized machinery for core clearing.
Veritcutting of rhizomes, stolons and crowns promotes new growth of the turf within the interstitial space between existing crowns. Veritcutting apparatus may be manual or mechanized, but generally requires mechanization for large areas of turf. Existing mechanized devices employ self-propelled or towed frames carrying cutting units of spaced circular discs with intermittently spaced verticutting blades for penetration through the thatch surface of the turf and into the ground surface.
Sand, a sand/peat mixture or some other topdressing material is then applied to the turf surfaces and is worked into the aeration holes. Topdressing can be worked into the turf manually with a rake or other similar tool. Incorporating topdressing manually is difficult and labor-intensive. Various prior art devices have been proposed to mechanize the process. Most of these devices, however, tend to leave ridges and piles of sand on the thatch surface of the turf.
Where cores and sand or soil deposits accumulate on the thatch surface or grass surface of the turf, they may be broken apart instead of removed. These deposits may be broken apart manually or by mechanized means such as harrows, drag mats and leveling blades which pulverize the cores and hard clumps of dirt. However, such machines are ineffective in redistributing the cores and topdressing from high points to depressions so as to level the turf surface. Leveling of the turf surface is a critical component of turf maintenance, especially for golf course and athletic field applications of turf systems. Current mechanized turf leveling devices do not adequately control their blading systems and the turf system may be damaged when the leveling blade cuts and scraps the elevated areas of the turf surface.
What is needed is a turf leveling device that can be used on uneven turf surfaces to level the turf surface without scrapping and cutting the elevated areas of the turf surface. What is also needed is a turf leveling device that can break apart and redistribute turf cores, dirt and topdressing materials so as to fill depressions in the turf surface without damaging the elevated areas of the turf surface.